Let's Take a Drive
by Femme55
Summary: After moving back to El Paso Ari fixes up his red pickup truck and takes Dante out to the desert, the trip sparking some memories from their youth.


Ari couldn't believe that it was really running again. It had been sitting in storage for the past fifteen years, since he had moved away after college, and even though he messed around with it a few times on his visits back, he never really put a lot of effort into getting it into driving condition again. But now that Dante and he had returned to El Paso, Ari had been anxious to bring his 57 Chevy back to life. It really was a perfect truck for desert drives. The body still looked pretty good – especially for the truck being 52 years old – the dry desert air and sitting in temperature and humidity controlled storage had meant that there was no visible rust. The chrome had needed a good polish, the exterior needed waxing and the interior needed cleaning, but all in all, it was in good shape. Dante was a little skeptical that he could get it running again. It had been 8 years since the engine had turned over, but after having it hauled to Benny's Body Shop, and spending quite a bit of money on rebuilding the engine and having the entire exterior and interior detailed (which Dante was _not_ too happy about), it was definitely now running. And it looked just as amazing as it did when Ari's dad handed him the keys almost 22 years ago.

Ari climbed into the truck and ran his hand around the steering wheel for a few seconds, the feel of it bringing back so many memories. The little pair of sneakers Dante sent him from Chicago that Christmas still hung from the rearview mirror and he touched them gently, smiling as they swung back and forth. He looked up into the rearview mirror and caught a glimpse of himself in it, kind of shocked to see the eyes of a 37-year old man staring back at him, and not his 16-year old self. His hair was still long, but now there were streaks of grey running through, and he had a few fine lines around his eyes. But he still ran every day and lifted weights, so he looked pretty good. And Dante definitely never complained.

Ari started the truck, smiling as it roared to life and checked the time. Dante's last class would be finishing up in about an hour, and if he hurried, he could run home to grab dinner and pick him up. He wanted to surprise Dante with a romantic picnic in their favorite spot in the desert now that the truck was ready. They had been out there since they had moved back a year ago, but it wasn't the same in their Prius.

An hour later Ari was parked outside of the Fox Fine Art building at UTEP, watching for Dante in the groups of students and professors exiting the building. He finally spotted him walking out with a group of students, their conversation very animated, Dante holding everyone's attention easily. One of the male students, good looking, dark complexion, tall, with big eyes and a t-shirt stretched tightly over his broad chest, was staring at him with a look of utter adoration. Ari felt a slight twinge of jealousy as the student leaned in to say something to Dante, resting his hand on Dante's arm. Dante laughed and responded, then stepped back from the student slightly and crossed his arms, then turned his head and caught sight of the truck. He smiled broadly and waved, then quickly said goodbye to the students before hurrying toward Ari. Ari smirked at the disappointed look on the cute student's face as he watched Dante walk away.

Dante was practically bouncing as he approached the truck, reminding Ari of how excited Dante had been after seeing it the first time after coming back from Chicago. Dante's enthusiasm was contagious and suddenly Ari was 16 again, proudly showing his shiny red truck off to his best friend.

"Ari! It's amazing! I can't believe that it's actually working." Dante walked around the truck slowly, admiring the shiny chrome and red exterior before excitedly climbing into the front seat. He looked around the interior and smiled when he spotted the sneakers, poking at them with a huge grin on his face before leaning over and kissing Ari.

"I can't believe that I'm actually sitting in this truck. I didn't think that it would look this good. I _almost_ forgive you for spending so much money fixing it."

Ari laughed and started the truck, letting it idle for a few minutes as Dante ran his hands all over the interior. A basket and few blankets were sitting in the seat between them and Dante placed his hand on them then looked up at Ari in amusement.

"What's this?"

"Dinner. Thought we could head out to the desert. Lay in the back of the truck, look at some stars. Far away from any light pollution."

Dante smiled broadly, then reached out and took Ari's hand.

"That's pretty romantic. And I thought I was the sappy one."

Ari blushed and put the truck into gear, trying not to smile as he checked the mirrors and pulled away from the curb.

"Just don't tell anyone. I have a reputation as a bad boy to protect."

Ari drove out to the desert almost on auto-pilot, his instincts taking him toward their favorite spot. Dante talked almost non-stop on the way out, telling Ari stories about his day and all the upcoming events on campus. The spring student art show was coming up in a few weeks and Dante was in charge of organizing the event and the reception.

"I mean, some of the pieces are just incredible. You should see the pieces one of my students – James – is submitting. Unbelievable. He paints really vivid and incredible desertscapes and there's this one that will just blow your mind. Seriously, you will love it."

"Is James one of the ones you were talking to today? The tall cute one with the painted on t-shirt?"

Ari purposefully checked his mirrors to avoid looking at Dante when he asked this, hoping his voice sounded casual and not pathetic. Dante smirked and leaned against the door, turning his full attention on Ari.

"No, James is in my Tuesday studio. The tall cute one with the painted on shirt was Luis. He has a major crush on me."

Ari turned his head and looked at Dante at that, shocked that Dante openly admitted that to him.

"What? He does. I'm very aware of it. He definitely doesn't hide it. Unfortunately for him, I happen to be married to the greatest guy in the world." Dante held up his hand and wiggled his wedding band at Ari, smirking when Ari grinned sheepishly and turned red. "I can't believe you still get jealous. That's so cute."

"I'm sorry. I trust you completely, obviously. But you are pretty irresistible. I don't blame him for having a crush on you."

Dante smiled and rolled his eyes, leaned over and kissed Ari on the cheek, then ran his hand up Ari's thigh before continuing talking about the show.

"Anyway. Enough about tragically cute art students and their daddy issues. As I was saying, the show is going to be amazing."

After eating they were sitting against the back of the cab, Dante's head resting against Ari's chest as they looked at the stars. There were still a few stars out, but the clouds had begun rolling in, and the wind was starting to pick up. It was getting a bit chilly and Ari covered them with the extra blanket. Dante was working on his third glass of wine, his eyelids drooping slightly as Ari ran his fingers through his hair.

"I missed this when we lived in L.A. I love this desert. I love this truck."

Dante nuzzled against Ari's chest then sat up a bit to look at him with a smirk.

"You love a lot of things, don't you?"

Ari laughed and pulled Dante into a hug. He very clearly remembered the first time Dante said those words to him, and he was glad that there wasn't a trace of anger in his voice this time.

"Very funny. And yes, I do love a lot of things. But I love you the most."

Ari kissed him, content with being back in this truck, his best friend still by his side after all these years. Their relationship had definitely not been perfect. There were ups and downs and almost-breakups a few times when they were younger, mostly due to lack of communication and trust issues on Ari's part, and Dante's flirtatious nature. But they had worked through all of their problems and had been happy for many years now. They balanced each other, and neither one could imagine spending their lives with anyone else. They had celebrated their first wedding anniversary in late June, and had been discussing having kids for a few years before that, looking into surrogates and adoption. Now that they were back in El Paso, close to family and they finally felt settled, that was growing into more of a reality. Ari loved the idea of bringing their kids out into the desert, in this truck, to look at the stars.

Ari smelled the rain before he felt it – the desert was like that, and they both quickly packed up the remains of dinner and headed inside as the first drops began to fall. Sitting in this truck in the desert during a rainstorm definitely brought back some memories. The first time they smoked pot together then stripped down and ran around naked and laughing in the rain. Ari remembered the air being charged between them that night and he again wondered what he would have done if Dante had touched him as they stood together that night. Would he have admitted his feelings for Dante to himself sooner and saved both of them some grief? If he had, Daniel would have never happened, which means the alley would have never happened. A brief stab of pain went through his chest at that thought, but he shook it off – he couldn't change the past.

He also very vividly remembered that night when he had basically attacked Dante after they had gotten soaked while making out in the back of the truck. He would never forget the look of shock on Dante's face as he slid into his lap and reached for his zipper with a shaking hand, his heart pounding in his chest as he took that first step in their physical relationship. He had no idea what he was doing that night, but Dante's panting and groaning soon told him that he was definitely on the right track.

"Too bad we don't have any pot. If I would have known that we were coming out here I could have tried to get some. Half of the art department professors are baked most of the time. Sometimes I get a contact buzz when I'm in my office."

Ari laughed and put the keys in the ignition, turning it so the display glowed faintly and he could see Dante.

"That does sound like fun. We haven't done that since we left L.A. And I'm sure the Good Luck Café still has excellent menudo. Next time."

Ari looked at Dante and he could feel himself blush as he thought about what he'd rather be doing right now; all the memories swirling around his head making him a little nostalgic and randy.

"Want to make out instead? I don't think we've made out in a car since college."

Dante laughed and said yes, then reached for Ari, pulling him into his lap. Ari's hands found Dante's face and he tilted it up to him, staring into his eyes for a few seconds before leaning down and kissing him. As soon as their lips touched they were teenagers again – the passionate and tender awkwardness very much still alive as they kissed and ground against each other. It was strange – they had a very active sex life, even after two decades as a couple – but being here, in this truck, it was like they were exploring each other's bodies for the first time all over again. Except this time, when Ari reached for Dante's zipper, he knew exactly what he was doing.

A half hour later the rain had let up a little, the soft steady beat of it like a whisper against the fogged over windows. Ari was laying across the front seat on top of Dante, their breathing ragged as they lazily clung to one another. Ari didn't want to move, he loved the feeling of Dante's hot skin pressed against his own, but his back was starting to ache. He knew Dante could not have been much more comfortable, his legs were bent at a strange angle since they were a bit too long for the seat. Reluctantly Ari pulled himself off of Dante, perching precariously on the very edge of the seat as he searched the floorboard for his clothes. Dante groaned then shivered when Ari broke contact with him, struggling to sit up and wincing when he had finally managed it.

"I think we are almost officially too old for car sex. Not that I'm complaining – that was amazing – but I think my back is going to take a few days to recover."

"It was fun though."

Dante smiled, agreeing, and rubbed his hand over his lower back and shifted again, sitting taller in the seat to stretch. Ari sorted their clothes and handed Dante his then sat back in the driver's seat, still naked. He looked out the window, wiping away the fog with his shirt and suddenly wanted to be outside. He opened the door and carefully climbed out of the truck, lifting his arms to brush back his hair as the rain poured down his naked body. He tipped his head back and let the cold rain fall on his face. Dante climbed out after him, wrapping his arms around Ari from behind, pressing kisses against his shoulder and neck. They stood in silence for a long time, wrapped in each other's arms while the cold rain fell on their skin. Another summer was quickly approaching. This was exactly where Ari was supposed to be – in the desert, with Dante, in this truck, in the rain. They belonged to the rain, and they belonged to each other. And Ari was happy.


End file.
